Disney World with my children,  and now with my grandaudies is probably one of the most fun things that you can experience in a lifetime.

We left here with Marta &  Anna in mid January for a 6 day visit with the Mouse.

Epp,  was not interested in going with us. I am just not sure it is possible to explain Disney to someone who grew up so differently and has such pre concieved notions about some things.

 Justin joined us in Orlando, a day or so later. 

The girls were great little travelers, it’s amazing how easy they were, with exception of the fighting, oh yes they were into the hitting  and shoving stage a stage  that I hope will pass soon.

We arrived at the Carribean Beach Resort in the late afternoon and got to the Magic Kingdom in just time for the big parade.

I don’t think they could quite believe  that we were there,  and the looks on their little faces when they saw Cinderella’s Castle were so touching.

The next morning we set out for a full day at the park .. We rode Dumbo the Tea Cups, we made are way up Main Street USA ..and then to The Pirates of the Carribean..

I was cautioned about frightening the girls,  but I thought my DNA,  they will be okay.. As we made are way along the dark passages leading to the “Pirates” and then on to the boats, I thought,  please don’t let them freak out on me , especially little Anna at only 3 1/2. 

As we were walking out I looked down at little her and said “are you okay Miss Annabella” and she looked up at me and said “Mimi please!  more Pirates” ! so we went on 5 more times..till  I said we need to see so many other things..

Off we went to It’s a Small World and they loved that too, but not as much as Pirates.

We had so much fun,  Justin arrived  and we went to Tom Sawyer Island and then a day at The African Kingdom. We went to Germany for dinner and the girls danced and we ate  so much great food. We saw Nemo .. and Fireworks that were  amazing. We saw so many things it would take hours to write about.

On our last day in the park Marta and I were walking along,  she was holding my hand and looking up at all of the buildings in the Magic Kingdom.  I said to her “what are you looking at  Marta, and she looked at me and said …” a place for us to live”.

I think that about says it all…

We will be back , perhaps the next time,  all of our family.

Epp, Justin, Marta, Anna, Marie Aleena (Luci, I call her Luci, long story) Ian, Suzie, Liam, Madeleine and Mimi & Popa…for a week of Disney!

On March 19th all of our family gathered to be part of Madeleine’s very special day. She, our new precious little one was so very cooportive with all of the days festivities.

It was by far one of the nicest baptisms I have ever been a part of.  Ian’s sister Margaret was the very honored Godmother and she did her job with amazing enthusiasm. She, Margaret,  is in Medical School and flew into Maryland from Arizona with no sleep,  and then drove with her parents the 5 hours to Westwood NJ to be there, for her brother and sister inlaw. Brian Suzie’s brother lives in Tennessee and was unable to attend because he was in the middle of a mandatory part of his schooling . He was well represented by his very best friend. Madeleine is blessed with 3 sets of grandparents and 3 families that want to be part of her life. She has Grandma  Pat, Grandpa Brian, Suzanne’s parents,  Grandpa Jack & Grandmother Pam,  Ian’s father Jack, and Pam  along with John, her Popa and me , her Mimi.  She baby Madeleine and her brother Liam are very well held, hugged and loved by all of us. It was a great day filled with great food, Pat’s Rubin Dip won the day, and of couse Father Jack, the very nice priest from Ian & Suzies’s church made it all official..

Congratulations Madeleine Newell Ericksen  (who was the 20th child to wear my Christening Gown)

I haven’t  written a story about frankly anything in since forever. So much has happened over the past 6 months that I just couldn’t find a place to begin

I guess it would be best to just offer up a bit of a recap.  

My last post was about my granddaughter Marta and her November visit with me, our trip to the city (New York City)  the American Girl Store, and then to Radio City Music Hall for the their Christmas Show.

For those of you who are not from Long Island, USA,  we simply refer to NYC as “the City”.

Where do I  begin.

In November our family welcomed a new baby grandaudie,  the very beautiful Madeleine Newell Ericksen. The daughter of my son Ian and his wife Suzanne.  Her brother, Liam was not exactly thrilled to have his status as “baby” taken from him at a mere 15 months of age. 

 He refused to even look in my direction as I sat holding his new baby sister in the corner of his mothers Hospital room.

Life went on and he adjusted and before we knew it,  it was Thanksgiving and then Christmas.   

Christmas is huge here and it was so good to have Ian, Suzie,  Liam and baby Madeleine here to celebrate Christmas Day with all of our family.  Sadly Marta & Anna were not here.  They arrived in January,  a bit earlier then expected,  it seems that there was some confusion about their departure time for their trip to Puerto Rico (usa), and they missed their flight and so they came home here 10 days earlier then expected. 

They were only here but a few days when they announced at dinner  that they were expecting another baby in September. 

A  couple of weeks after they arrived we, me, Popa,  Marta and Anna set off to Orlando Florida, to Disney World.  Epp stayed behind for lack of interest, and to watch the dog…it gave her a week of quiet to write ,  and Justin, via San Diego, California was going to meet up with us in Florida  a few days later.

I am not sure but rather than complain endlessly about all the snow and how much I hated this past winter I think I will begin my next post with a happy story about baby Madeleine’s Christening Day.

I had just purchased a new wallet and had emptied all of  the contents of my old one on to the kitchen counter. My old one had contained so many old photos and I was looking thru all of them to see if I really needed to keep Ian’s 4th grade photo or Justin’s High School Sophmore  football picture. 

She, my friend was chatting away and moving about the room when she spotted a photo of Anna on the fridge door.

She went right over to this photo from my collection ..this picture was actually was cropped from a  photo of  John and I taken by my sister on the day Justin was born..

I have always kept it with me. She, my friend  said with tremendous excitment  ”look at this”,  okay I said I’m looking ,  don’t you see how much you two look alike she asked?

I must admit that I had never thought of it ..

Everyone used to say that Marta was my twin..my mother,  my sister.. my friends and office mates.

I didn’t think she was,  although we do have a similar look. 

She has her mothers shaped eyes or her Uncle Apps,  my eye color and perhaps face shape,  my hair and most would agree like it or not my “persona”…

I always thought that Anna looked much like Justin only with light blonde hair ..She is built  exactly  like my grandmother Maria..and Justin is built much like my father so I guess that she gets that from him.

I don’t really know … she is her fathers daughter for sure but she has a side that is much more  forward thinking,  she is more of a planner ..as Aunt Suzie says she is more like her mother.

Well I’m just putting this out there …what do you all think?